Bad Border Behaviors: 4 Case Studies/Tips and 2 Confessions

Lots of things can go wrong at border crossings. There could be a problem with your visa. Someone might try to scam you–and succeed. Or something else totally unexpected could happen.

And so, as you approach a border–especially a chaotic one–you may feel apprehensive. You get your bags ready, fumble for your “papers” and then, perhaps, your heart skips a beat…

Will it go smoothly or or not, you wonder…

Often, it does, but not always. And in my experience, it’s in the developing countries that certain BBBs–“bad border behaviors”–occur. At the border itself and in the towns right before/after it.

I must confess, however, that it’s not just them. It’s me, too. I have also behaved badly.

Before I share my own BBBs–where and why they occurred–let’s talk about them— the people who work at or near borders. Later, I’ll fess up. Then, I’d also like to hear from you.

Them

1. Overcharging Desperate Bathroom Users

How It Happens
At the border control in some countries, you may find a bathroom. But it’s not guaranteed that there will be one. And even if there is, there may not be enough time to use it. Sometimes, you have no choice but to go when the bus stops at the nearest border town.

To find it, little effort is required. Just follow your nose–and eyes. Look for the grumpy person holding a few pieces of toilet paper who’s pointing to a bowl with coins in it. The price: high.

PS: I think I was charged more than $1 to use the bathroom in the photo below.

Bathroom near Honduras/El Salvador border

Why It Happens
The overcharging occurs, quite simply, because you’re a captive audience and the rules of supply and demand prevail. The bathroom owners/managers know you’re desperate and so, they charge two to three times the normal price. I suppose I might do the same in their situation; it is a business, after all. Still…it sucks when you’re the customer. And when the bathroom is disgusting.

Tip/How to Avoid It
Use the bathroom when your bus stops at a restaurant way before you get to the border. Or drink Gatorade or another thirst-quenching drink so that you’re less likely to need the bathroom. Also, pack your own toilet paper since they barely give you any.

2. Passport/Visa Paperwork ‘Facilitation’

How It Happens
Usually, this occurs at super busy and chaotic borders. Someone, in somewhat respectable and/or official looking clothing, approaches you and says he can help get you through faster. Just give him your passport and he’ll get the paperwork processed, helping you avoid the line.

Why It Happens
They know how insane their border is and how eager people are to pass through quickly. That equals a market for them. While the bathroom overchargers are passive types, these people are a bit more predatory. They may see the fatigue on your face and the worry if it’s getting dark and then they make their move.

Tip/How to Avoid It
Although this is most often a scam and I don’t generally go for it, I did once and it worked out OK. When I crossed the border between Ecuador and Peru many years ago, someone like this helped me and a friend save time this way. It did cost us a couple dollars, but it was worth it since that was not a pleasant border at all.

My best advice is to make sure that you’re clear on the rules before you cross the border and that the steps involved with the crossing have been laid out in advance by whoever is in charge of your transportation.

3. Mandatory Tourist/Photography ‘Card’ Sales/Scams

How It Happens
Here, your vehicle will stop somewhere along the way–before you get to the border–and you’ll be told that you need to purchase a special tourist or photography card in order to be allowed into the country. Efforts may be coordinated by your driver and the other scam artists.

Why It Happens
The locals are looking for ways to make money and they see you, the traveler, as someone who’s got it. If you don’t speak the language, all the better. They use a variety of tactics to pull off this scam and can make your life hell if you don’t cooperate. They can delay things for an eternity and increase your anxiety level to the point where you might finally give in.

Tips/How to Avoid It
I’m not 100% sure. Perhaps study the rules re: border crossing as much as possible. Google “border scams for country X” and see what you find. Then, perhaps, ask a local to write down some key phrases for you in the country’s language (and write your own phonetic spelling to use.) Things like, “I know this is not legal.” Or “I’m not supposed to pay this and I’m not going to.”

When the moment comes, use the phrases/sentence and look tough?

4. Money-Hungry Money Changing

How It Happens
They’re there and you’re there. You need them. Their money, that is. They approach you and attempt to strike a deal. The rate tends to be crappy.

Just like the paperwork facilitators, these guys can be legitimate at times. But often, they can be trouble. They’re fast talkers who know how to work the numbers in their favor. They also make lots of “accidental errors.” They’re the kind of guys who make you want to shower after you’ve struck a deal with them.

Why It Happens
You didn’t change your money earlier on and are now need to be rid of it–or are in desperate need of the currency on the other side of the border. They know it and you know it. Again, you’re part of their target market.

Tip/How to Avoid It
You’re better off changing your money at one of the bus stops along the way if possible and, of course, back in the city you departed from. It’s worth it, believe me.

OK, now…the big moment you’ve been waiting for. What have I done at borders that I shouldn’t have?

Me

5. Taking Photos of the Border

Why/How I Did It
Imagine the excitement I felt when I was crossing Jordan’s border into the Syrian Arab Republic (2 years ago, when it was safe there). I almost couldn’t contain myself. I knew I had a visa and that they couldn’t turn me down, which was good. Even so, I still felt a surge of apprehension/excitement as I sat on the bus, waiting for my papers to be checked.

Sitting there, I spotted the scene below and found myself reaching for my camera. I didn’t have a blog at the time, by the way. I just wanted a photo or two. To remember what it felt and looked like. The flag combined with the image of the President and his father, the former President, was striking.

Syria border

So, when the various officials and soldiers weren’t looking, I took a couple shots. My hands shook a bit, but fortunately, I was able to keep steady as I took the photos.

6. Exceeding the Duty-Free Limit

Why/How I Did It
So, there I was on my way back from Syria a few weeks later, about to cross back into the mellow Kingdom of Jordan, with its photo of King Abdullah in a scarf and the flag waving proudly. I stopped off at the Duty Free shop and bought cigarettes for a Circassian-Jordanian I’d been staying with–friend of mine who’d made a special request due to the cheaper prices.

She’d said, “Get as many cartons as you possibly can.”

They had her brand and so that’s exactly what I did. I got about 10 cartons. I think they were Winstons. (PS: I’m not a smoker.)

Right before we moved on to the official checkpoint, where the officials open bags and look for such things (I didn’t know that cigarettes were an issue, of course), I mentioned to my taxi driver what I’d bought.

“What?” he said, freaking out a bit. “That many?” He then told me there was a limit–of 2 cartons (I can’t quite remember).

I didn’t know what to do. Although the cigs were relatively inexpensive, they certainly weren’t cheap. I’d spent quite a bit on them and didn’t want to sacrifice them. Also, my friend was eager to have them.

So the taxi driver and I came up with a plan. We hid a few cartons deep inside my large backpack bag under some dirty clothes, etc. Then, another passenger, a female, put some in her bag. The taxi driver also hid a few in his trunk, underneath other bags and a spare tire.

He told me to stand aside, keep quiet and read a book–to not watch when my bags got searched. Play it cool, in so many words.

A few minutes later, the officials said hello, checked documents, then opened my bags. I waited with baited breath, my heart beating wildly, hoping all would go well. And fortunately, it did. They barely looked inside.

Phew.

OK–now that I’ve gotten my confessions out, let’s hear from you about your experiences–whichever end of it you’ve been on.

You?

What would you have done?
What would you have done in the situations I described above? Would you have taken the photo of the Syrian border? And what would you have done with those cigarettes?

What BBBs (bad border behaviors) have you witnessed/experienced/committed?
Any scams to report? If so, where and what? Feel free to share a link to a post you’ve written.

Have you broken any rules? If so, please share. And if you did something really bad, then feel free to post anonymously. As long as you don’t sound like spam, I’ll approve the comment.